Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Sergio Ramos will go down as one of the game’s greatest defenders after a wildly successful career with Real Madrid and Spain, winning the Champions League four times, the Euros twice and also the World Cup in 2010.

Ramos spent 16 years at Real Madrid before calling time on his stay in the Spanish capital two years ago but could he have joined United?

The former Los Blancos skipper was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford in 2015 when Louis van Gaal was in charge of the club and now, speaking eight years later, he has admitted that a transfer was close.

A move never materialised and he ended up signing a new contract with Real Madrid and it’s unlikely that he is regretting that decision.

“I stayed where I should have stayed, Real Madrid, but I was indeed close to playing for United,” Ramos is quoted as saying by The Mirror.

“It was not to be, but I do keep that admiration for the club, to the Premier League and the players, because the rhythm of play, the pace is different, and it’s a league we can all learn a great deal from, all of us. So that was not meant to be. I was glad to stay in Madrid, and now I’m glad to be in Sevilla.”

Ramos went on to win the Champions League three years on the spin not long after snubbing a move to United.

From United’s viewpoint, Ramos is another player added to the long list of players who have supposedly used United’s interest to get better deals at their current clubs.

Unfortunately, United have been victims of those strategies a number of times over the years but hopefully, that trend has come to an end.

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